A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee today begins a two-day hearing on the safety of cold remedies marketed for children. Drug makers said last week that they are voluntarily recalling all over-the-counter cough and cold medicines available nationwide for children ages 2 and under.

Also today:

•President Bush meets with the president of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

O.J. Simpson wanted armed men with him when he confronted two sports memorabilia dealers, according to a co-defendant who has agreed to testify for the prosecution in the Las Vegas armed robbery case.

"O.J. said, 'Hey, just bring some firearms,' " Walter Alexander told police in a transcript of his recorded statement obtained by the Associated Press.

Alexander told police after his arrest Sept. 16 that he and another man showed up with guns at the former football star's request, then headed with him into a casino hotel room to retrieve collectibles that Simpson said belonged to him. Alexander and another defendant, Charles Cashmore, have agreed to plea deals.

Simpson's attorney, Yale Galanter, said Simpson's position remains that there were no guns brought to the room and that he did not tell anyone to bring guns.

Maine middle school to offer birth control

Pupils at a Portland, Maine, middle school will be able to get birth control at their student health center after the school board approved the proposal. The plan, offered by city health officials, allows King Middle School to make a full range of contraception available to students in grades 6 through 8, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

Prescriptions will be given after a student undergoes a physical by a physician or nurse practitioner, said Lisa Belanger, who oversees Portland's student health centers. Students treated at the centers must get parental permission, but under state law, such treatment is confidential, and students decide whether or not to tell their parents about services they receive.

Lack of funds stalls Georgia homicide trial

The Georgia judge presiding over the homicide trial of a man charged with fatally shooting four people in a 2005 rampage suspended jury selection indefinitely Wednesday because the defense hasn't been adequately funded. The trial has been bogged down in friction with the state public defender's office over fees and expenses. Judge Hilton Fuller has ordered the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council to appear at a contempt hearing Monday to explain itself.

Brian Nichols is charged with escaping from an Atlanta courthouse, where he was on trial for rape. He allegedly killed the trial judge, a court reporter, a sheriff's deputy and a federal agent.

Planned Parenthood clinic faces charges

A Planned Parenthood clinic in Kansas was charged with providing unlawful abortions and other crimes by a county prosecutor who had battled the clinic when he was the state attorney general. Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline charged the Overland Park clinic with 107 counts, 23 of them felonies. A hearing is Nov. 16. State Attorney General Paul Morrison previously reviewed Kline's allegations and found no wrongdoing, Morrison aide Ashley Anstaett said.

Also …

•WASHINGTON — The city will join other major cities by installing meters in its taxis, Mayor Adrian Fenty said. The city will drop its zone system, which some passengers found confusing.

On Deadline: What others are reporting

Business groups aim to defeat initiative

Fearful that voters may get the power to kill development projects, Florida business interests are using an array of political weaponry to defeat "Hometown Democracy," an initiative that would allow voters to approve or reject changes to county growth plans, The Tampa Tribune reported (tampatrib.com).

A mailing from one opposition group alleged the Hometown movement is a shadowy conspiracy by out-of-state special interests, the Tribune reported. It said another group sent an e-mail that put a phony message onto a doctored photo of a strip club marquee, making it appear the club was offering free admission to Hometown backers. Hometown supporter Robert Page compared the tactics to the Watergate era. "It's the dirty trick business just like President Nixon used," he said.

John Thrasher, head of a group opposing the measure, says it would raise taxes and utility bills. He says groups like his are pointing out the pitfalls of putting land-use decisions to a popular vote. — Paul Leavitt